Caskets typically include a base or shell formed as a complete unit together with a lid or cover hinged to the base. The lid or cover is either a single cover extending the full length of the casket or separate lower and upper cover portions which are often capable of being individually opened and closed. Since the cover and shell are designed as a unit and coordinated with one another, typically the structure of the casket is completely or substantially completely manufactured at one facility and shipped as a fully assembled unit to its destination. A fully assembled casket occupies a large space and, as a result, shipping and storage costs are high.
Over recent years, there has been a continuing effort to provide a casket design that is comprised of a group or kit of components and subassemblies that may be very compactly packaged for shipping and therefore, more efficiently and economically transported through the distribution system to the destination of use of the casket. Preferably, the casket is easily assembled at a location remote from the factory, and the final product is as functional and visually appealing as if the casket had been fully assembled at the manufacturing facility. The success of such an operation depends to a great extent on the capability of the casket design to eliminate, from the assembly process, operations requiring great skill or complicated and expensive tooling.
Prefabricated or ready to assemble wooden caskets are known in the art as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,930,197 and 5,709,016. Prefabricated and ready to assemble metal caskets are also known in the art as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,448,810 and 5,813,100. As with wooden caskets, the manufacture and assembly of metal caskets is labor intensive and requires highly skilled labor using complex and expensive equipment. For example, metal casket parts are first fabricated and then welded together. The weld joints must be finished with a grinding operation, and thereafter, surfaces of the casket are finished typically by spray painting. While known prefabricated ready to assemble metal caskets function reasonably well, there is a continuing effort to provide simpler, less expensive and more easily assembled metal caskets that have comparable quality to those metal caskets assembled at a supplier's manufacturing facility.